As a movement, service-learning now includes the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, situated on the Persian Gulf off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. In May, NYLC staff members Jim Kielsmeier, Sarah Ullmer, and Mason Fong offered youth and adult trainings during Qatar’s first youth engagement conference.

We hope that you will join us on the final day of NYLT, July 24 from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., for a celebratory banquet. The evening will include dinner and a dynamic program featuring youth and alumni speakers.

This spring, NYLC and the International Center for Research on Community Engagement at the University of Minnesota formed a new partnership to develop research initiatives that explore key issues pertaining to youth development and community engagement.

NYLC recently received funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to honor the legacy and continue the work of the late G. Bernard Gill, a former NYLC staff member.

Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum joined a diverse gathering of nearly 100 service-learning practitioners for a morning of tree-planting and service-learning testimonies Thursday, April 16 at the NYLC offices in St. Paul, Minn.

Participants at the 20th Annual National Service-Learning Conference in Nashville experienced abundant examples of how service-learning can change lives. Many of these experiences were highlighted during 40 workshops and other sessions at the World Forum day at the conference. Topics ranged from the global water crisis, to peace-building, to the Millennium Development Goals.

NYLC is delighted to announce that National Middle School Association Executive Director Betty Edwards and former Otto Bremer Foundation Executive Director John Kostishack have joined the governing board. As NYLC’s CEO Jim Kielsmeier said: “We look forward to working closely with them. They each bring such unique experiences to our work.”

NYLC is pleased to join many supporters nationwide in celebrating the bipartisan votes by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, which send the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to President Obama for his signature. The bill, renamed in honor of Massachusetts' Senator Edward Kennedy, authorizes a massive expansion of national service programs for Americans of all ages.

Connect with other schools passionate about service-learning through the Generator School Network!

At the National Service-Learning Conference in Nashville last month, NYLC president Jim Kielsmeier hailed the progress of federal legislation for recognizing service-learning not only as a gateway to national service but also as a strategy for school improvement.